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by OukamiYasha
Summary: Riku witnesses a kiss between Kairi and Sora one evening and nothing can prepare him for the pain of heartache. Um...one-sided Riku/Sora...implied Sora/Kairi...^^;; ::hides behind table:: Don't hurt me!


Summary: Riku witnesses a kiss between Kairi and Sora one evening and nothing can prepare him for the pain of heartache. Um...one-sided Riku/Sora...implied Sora/Kairi...^^;; ::hides behind table:: Don't hurt me!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sora, Kairi OR Riku...u.u; ...^_^ But I do own a food processor!  
  
Thanks to my muses, Taikuru the wolf demon and Little Raven for inspiring me to write such an angsty story!  
  
Little Raven: ::sips orange soda:: You flatter us! ^^  
  
Taikuru: oO; ::hides from Little Raven::  
  
O.O; ....^____^ ONWARD TO THE STORY!  
  
"Um...Kairi?" Sora asked, his face a deep red as he sat on the dock next to his red-headed friend.  
  
"Yes, Sora?" she responded, looking at him, her head slightly tilted to the side. Sora's heart beat faster as he blushed even more.  
  
"I, um...was wondering...if...heh...you would be my...uh...girlfriend!" Sora managed to choke out. It was Kairi's turn to blush, her face turned almost as red as her hair, which looked like it was on fire in the light of the setting sun .(A/N: But it wasn't. Too bad, ne? )  
  
"I would love to, Sora," she said softly, smiling at him. Sora's eyes widened.  
  
"Really?!" he gasped. He didn't know what he expected her to say, but this answer was the best out of all possible ones.  
  
"Yeah!" Kairi laughed. Sora gave her one of his goofy grins and took Kairi's hand in his. The girl, in turn, rested her head on Sora's shoulder. Together, they watched the sunset, oblivious that someone was watching them.  
  
Riku looked down below from the rail that wrapped around to the treehouse entrance, spotting the two fourteen-year-olds on the dock. His keen eyes saw them holding hands, saw that Kairi was leaning on Sora. His heart gave a painful wrench and he immediately averted his eyes, turning to go back inside the treehouse. He struggled not to fall to his knees and weep, which was all he wanted to do at the moment. Instead, he sat in the farthest corner and watched the sun's rays slowly sink into darkness.  
  
He had been in the treehouse for about an hour now, waiting until Sora wanted to leave. He had planned to go home with him. But, obviously, Sora thought Riku had left, even if the older boy's boat was still at the dock. That was a funny thing about Sora, he sometimes couldn't see things that were staring him in the face.  
  
Riku hugged his knees to his chest as he stared off into the increasingly dark room. He had a knot in his throat, and when he tried to clear it, all that resulted was a pitiful, whimpering sound. He shuddered, even though it wasn't cold. He had heard Sora ask Kairi to be his girlfriend, voices carried after all. He had heard Kairi say yes. Part of him desperately wished Kairi had said no, but another part of him was happy Kairi had said yes. All Riku wanted, after all, was for Sora to be happy. Sora's happiness meant everything to him, even if it meant Riku himself had to go through pain. 'His happiness is my happiness, remember that, Riku...'  
  
Riku narrowed his eyes. How long had he felt this way about Sora? How long had he liked his best friend? Well...not liked. Loved. Riku admitted it. He loved Sora with all his heart, he would give everything up just for Sora to be happy, he would do anything if it was for Sora's own good. That was definitely love. But...how long? Riku thought for a while. 'Forever' was the best answer he could come up with. But the odds of Sora feeling the same way were slim to none. Well, now that he was with Kairi...none to none. Besides, Sora wasn't...like that. Of course, neither was Riku. It wouldn't have mattered to him if Sora was a boy, girl, or something in between, he would always love his brown-haired friend. Always.  
  
Sighing, Riku got up. He was still hurt, but decided to swallow his pain and pretend everything was all right. That what he had done for years, after all. He was an expert at hiding his emotions now. But nothing could have prepared him for the hurt that was coming.  
  
As he strode out onto the ramp, his eyes wandered down to the dock again where the last few fleeting rays of sunlight illuminated the scene. Riku narrowed his eyes, he guessed that Sora and Kairi had left. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he saw what was going on. Sora was kissing Kairi, his arms wrapped lovingly around her waist, hers around his neck. A sharp, freezing feeling ran throughout Riku's body and he suddenly felt like he was going to pass out. Tears built up in his eyes as he stared, horrified, below, his face drained of any and all color.  
  
Riku shook his head slowly, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. It just couldn't be...but it was. Now all Riku wanted to do was run. Run far, far away. Get away from this place, from these people, from the boy who caused him so much happiness yet so much pain. So he ran. He didn't care if someone saw him, he didn't care where he was going. He wanted to run until he collapsed, then sleep forever and never feel this kind of pain again.  
  
Kairi giggled as Sora pulled away. The boy had an embarrassed smile on his face, yet he held Kairi's hand tighter. Kairi smiled at him, then suddenly, it dissolved into a frown as she narrowed her eyes, looking into the distance. Sora turned around to see what she was looking at. Someone had jumped off the stairs that lead to the treehouse and was running toward the doorway to the cove. Sora was suddenly startled. That glint of silvery hair...there was only one person that could be. Riku. As the figure disappeared around the corner, Sora and Riku stood up. They hadn't even had time to call him. Riku had always been a fast runner, but this time it was as if he was running for his life.  
  
Sora looked at Kairi, as if asking her what to do. The girl had an equally questioning expression on her face. Sora sighed, he was obviously the decision-maker in this relationship.  
  
"I'm going to see what's wrong with him. You just go home, okay?" he said, hugging her. Kairi nodded and kissed Sora on the cheek before going down to untie her boat. Sora waved goodbye and ran down the beach to the cove entrance.  
  
As Sora got to the cove, he immediately started looking around. Riku couldn't have gotten far, after all, the cove was an enclosed space with only two ways out....  
  
"Riku! Riku, where are you?" Sora called out. He felt guilty. He knew that Riku had liked Kairi, too. They had always been competing for her...he must have seen them kiss and was hurt. Sora didn't actually even know what he was going to do if he found Riku. What would he say?  
  
Riku heard Sora call out to him. Sora's voice, though still childish as usual, now stung Riku. He couldn't stand it. Sora couldn't be here. He just couldn't! All Riku wanted to do now was break down and sob, to bleed, faint, and die. But first he needed to hide. His brain was in shambles, nothing made sense except to wander out into the ocean. Which is what he did. He ran through the lapping water, deeper and deeper until it was up to his waist.  
  
"Riku!" Sora spotted his friend in the water. He was confused and afraid. What was Riku trying to do? Drown himself? Was he really that upset? "RIKU!" Sora shouted as he ran towards Riku.  
  
The older boy struggled to become calm. He fought back the tears and the urge to collapse as he calmly turned to look at Sora. Still, he couldn't help but shudder as a jolt of pain ran through him.  
  
"Riku...are you okay?" Sora asked, a bit apprehensively. The moon was full and out now, shining down on Riku, making him seem...unearthly. Like a fallen angel that was full of some unidentiful emotion...sorrow, pain...desperation....  
  
Riku nodded, afraid to speak lest the tears he was holding back flow forth. "Are you sure?" Sora asked again. "What's wrong? Did you see me and Kairi...um..."  
  
"Kissing?" Riku asked a little harsher than he meant it. He could see the hurt in Sora's eyes. No, Sora showed his emotions. Unlike Riku who would always keep them bottled up so he wouldn't seem vulnerable. Riku softened his voice. "Yes...I saw..."  
  
"Riku...I...." Sora began over the gentle lapping of the waves on the beach. "I'm sorry. I...didn't know you liked Kairi so much...why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have--"  
  
"No, Sora...it's...okay..."  
  
"Then....why are you so upset?" Sora's confused, deep blue eyes stared pleadingly into Riku's cold, icy blue ones. "Do you love her?"  
  
Riku stared at Sora, then at the cold water.  
  
"No...I don't."  
  
"Then...why..."  
  
"Just trust me, Sora," Riku looked into Sora's eyes and put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "I do not love Kairi. Nor do I like her." Sora narrowed his eyes in confusion. Riku's expression seemed so blank, so emotionless...yet his eyes held so much....like they told a story of their own. A story of pain, sorrow...love and hurt...sadness and despair.  
  
"But I want to know why--"  
  
"Sora," Riku interrupted. "Do you love Kairi? I mean, really?"  
  
Sora thought for a minute and nodded firmly. "I do."  
  
Riku just smiled, though it was a small, sad smile. "And she loves you back. Are you happy?"  
  
Sora thought again. He WAS happy with Kairi..."...yes..."  
  
"Then that's all I need...go home, Sora. I'm just upset because..." Riku let out a mock sniffle. "It's hard to see my little boy grow up," he said, managing to make it sarcastic. Sora grinned in his goofy way. So Riku wasn't upset. Good.  
  
"All right, Riku. See ya tomorrow!" he ran off. Riku waved.  
  
"Yeah...see ya..."  
  
When Sora was gone, Riku crawled into the tiny cave near the raft. He sat in silence for a few moments, then broke down. He fell to his side on the ground, yanking at his long hair and sobbing hysterically. He went on for hours until, his body exhausted from his crying, he passed out. The moon's rays shone through the cave on him, illuminating small, crystal- clear tears pouring out of his closed eyes.  
  
I kinda rushed the ending...blame that on him! ::points to Little Raven::  
  
Little Raven: OO; ...u.u; I am..so ashamed...  
  
^^ Good. You should be. I might continue it...make Riku go through more pain...he and Sora might even end up together, who knows? But I think it'll pretty much be one-shot. 


End file.
